According to standards, healthy tap water flows through 35,000 kilometres of outdated asbestos pipes, this despite the ban on the use of asbestos since 1993 because, among other things, it is carcinogenic. Replacing these pipes would require more than EUR 200 billion. The drinking water companies are silent on this, meanwhile water flows uninterrupted from the tap. "In the Netherlands, clean and tasty drinking water comes out of the tap. We owe that to drinking water companies. They make the water clean and reliable. That happens in a number of steps."
That is the cynical slogan of drinking water utilities.
Source Article by Rob Vellekoop, 21 September 2016
No less than 1,156 million cubic metres of tap water are produced each year. To transport all this tap water, there are 120,000 kilometres of water mains in the Netherlands. We now use an average of 121 litres of drinking water per adult per day and drink almost 2 litres.
At one time, there were nearly 200 water companies in the Netherlands. Many municipalities had their own waterworks. Now there are 10 big ones left. They supply tap water to the people in their region. For example, WML in Limburg, Dunea in South Holland and Vitens as the largest drinking water company in Friesland, Overijssel, Gelderland and Flevoland.
Tap water pipes
Since 1853, we have had a pipe network in the Netherlands. Before that, water came from wells and springs. In Amsterdam, the first pipeline network was built using water from the dunes. Amsterdam's beer brewers benefited from this, so they pulled the cart. In the 1920s, the water supply network expanded and half a century later almost everyone was connected.
Materials for tap water pipes
For large diameters (transport), these materials are concrete, cast iron, steel, asbestos cement, GRE, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and PE (polyethylene). Distribution pipes are made of cast iron, steel, asbestos cement, PVC, PE, GRE and SLA pipe. SLA is used in contaminated soil and in cemeteries. This is an expensive PE pipe with an aluminium core, which prevents toxins from entering the drinking water.
The service pipes that are the pipes that branch off from the distribution pipe in the street to the house can be of lead, steel, copper, PVC, PE and SLA pipe. The lead service pipes are generally already remediated as lead also causes health problems. From 1880 to about 1955, everything was made of cast iron, lead and copper. From 1955 to 1970, asbestos cement was used and from 1970 to the present, steel, PVC, PE, and sporadically in case of contaminated soil, SLA or ductile iron (high-quality cast iron).
Asbestos tap water pipes
Asbestos drinking water pipes (also known as asbestos cement) are subject to wear and tear and leaching. The type of soil in which they are located also affects their lifespan. The average asbestos pipe is 60 years old and leaks are commonplace. They are depreciated and should have been replaced years ago.
Initially, a layer of limescale builds up inside the pipes, which slows down the wear and tear process. However, leaching causes the bond between the cement and the asbestos to weaken, allowing asbestos fibres to enter the drinking water. Similarly, water hammer (sudden pressure surges) and the flushing of these old pipes release large amounts of asbestos. Concentrations of up to 120,000 nanofibres per litre of drinking water have already been measured.
Only water companies in Flanders, Zeeland and Drenthe are cleaning up asbestos. About 35,000 kilometres of asbestos pipe are still in operation. Remediation costs come to 250 to 500 euros per metre, depending on the situation. In total, it could cost around 250 billion euros, hence the much-needed clean-up.
The rehabilitation is then hampered by the fact that the other utilities, such as cable companies, have laid their cables above the drinking water pipeline to be replaced, making it inaccessible. This creates a huge additional cost.
The best material for water pipes is cast iron or steel. It is much safer and just as expensive from 300mm upwards. However, installation is more expensive due to the weight and length of the pipes. The water that comes out of your tap has usually already travelled many kilometres through the pipework. As a result, it has passed through numerous different pipes made of various materials.
Healthy tap water and Asbestos
In a 1993 guideline on drinking water quality, the World Health Organisation stated that there was no convincing evidence that ingesting asbestos is dangerous. Similarly, the RIVM states that only asbestos fibres in the air can be harmful.
However, airborne exposure to asbestos can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis, according to experts. Therefore, the use of asbestos has been banned in the Netherlands since 1993.
It is of course strange that asbestos inhaled through the air poses a health risk, but ingesting it through drinking water would not pose any danger.
Jyotisha
Types of possible tap water contamination
- Lead and copper from household piping can cause diseases.
- Asbestos fibre from old main drinking water pipes is considered carcinogenic.
- Pesticides and phosphates enter groundwater from agriculture and via wastewater.
- Substances from billions of drugs from discarded packaging and through urine and faeces entering surface water via the toilet a serious problem (cholesterol reducers, painkillers, beta blockers, hormones, female sex hormones from the anti-baby pill and the like)
- Bacteria and viruses may be killed by chlorination or irradiation with ultraviolet light, but they remain in the drinking water. Only distillation or reverse osmosis can prevent us from drinking them.
- Surface active agents (tensides) enter water from paint and detergents.
- Besides chlorine, trihalomethane often ends up in drinking water. These can form as reaction products due to chlorination.
It is striking that the drinking water companies monitor their own product themselves; in other words, the butcher inspects his own meat! Nevertheless, the water companies are finding it increasingly difficult due to rising levels of environmental pollution. In practice, they are making every effort to ensure that the quality of drinking water is as high as possible for everyone.
Jyotisha naturopath
If just a single gramme of the many pollutants, which we take in every day, is deposited in our bodies, then after one year it is already more than 350 grams - in 10 years more than 3.5 kilograms - and after 20 years more than 7 kilograms.
The content of these two articles suggests that our tap water is carried through asbestos water pipes. However, work on this pipe network is not without risks for workers. What is the real situation regarding public health? Buy equipment to improve the quality of your own drinking water and drink Pure, Naturally Filtered, Oxygen-Rich Water. Alpha has a filter that comes as standard in both models. According to Alpha’s engineer, this filter also traps even the very smallest asbestos particles. It is a patented ultra fine water filter for use at home, designed to prevent nanoplastics and nano-asbestos particles from entering the home.
I have specifically enquired about this. I have also received the specifications for both filters. These are available on request. Visit our water ioniser shop for more information or book a free online consultation. Of course, you can also call on 023-7852710.
So this way you are guaranteed to get pure healthy tap water!
So what are you going to do with this information?
The facts about asbestos pipes are clear. The next step is to understand how drinking water actually travels from source to tap — and where the risks accumulate. Anyone who understands this will be able to make more informed choices about filtering, alternatives or taking action.
→ Read ‘The Great Water Mystery: Drinking Water – 1 Great Water Mystery’
→ Find out what filtering still fails to remove: Filtering tap water – pesticides are a disaster
→ Read the warning about PFAS: PFAS in tap water in North Holland – PWN warning
→ ingesting it through drinking water would not pose any danger
Tap water The idea of asbestos pipes may sound worrying, but research shows that in most cases the risk is not as great as one might think, provided the pipes are in good condition and undamaged. If you have any doubts about the situation in your home or neighbourhood, it is advisable to check with your water supplier to find out whether there are any asbestos pipes in your area and what their current condition is. This will enable you to make an informed decision about drinking tap water.
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